2022 Meeting Minutes
December 10, 2023
The December D5 meeting was called to order at 1:30. Attendees from the D5 Board were president Connie White, vice president Gretchen Eick, secretary Amy Ackerman, treasurer Ray Racobs, and webmaster Sandee Taylor. Also in attendance were Chrystal Dahl, Amy Kliewer, Judie Miller, Liz Schmidt, Nicole Snyder, Gloria Zachgo, and Martha Wherry. Wes Brummer, Ron Peters, and Jan Hurst joined the group via Zoom.
The meeting began with a brief business meeting. Treasurer Ray Racobs reported the current balance, $461.65 of which came from 2022 dues. Attendees approved a $290 payment to the Evergreen Branch Library for the meetings in 2023 and a $500 payment to the state to help cover the cost of speakers for 2023.
Following the business meeting and a brief break, attendees were given a series of writing prompts to choose from with some time to write and then share their writing. The main meeting was adjourned at 3:08.
Following the main meeting, there was a board meeting to further discuss next year. The board selected Ann Fell as the Writers in Community Liaison, Amy Kliewer as the New Member Liaison, Nicole Snyder as the Technology Manager, and Gretchen Eick as the KAC Executive Board representative. Attendees further discussed the 2023 meeting schedule, the breakdown of the payment to the state, and publicity for the meetings. The meeting was adjourned at 3:45
Amy Ackerman, secretary
November 12, 2022
The November D5 meeting was called to order at 1:30, with eight attendees at Asbury church and none online. Attendees spent most of the meeting discussing some proposed changes to the D5 bylaws based on changes made at the state level. There was also a brief discussion about the potential of a D5 retreat at a hunting center in Moline in the spring. The meeting was adjourned at 3:30. The next meeting will be on December 10th, and will include officer elections and a read-around.
Amy Ackerman, secretary
October 15, 2022
The October D5 meeting was called to order at 1:35 and the recording was started. Vice president Gretchen Eick introduced the speaker, Tracy Million Simmons. Ms. Simmons is the current KAC manager, and she told attendees about some potential future changes to KAC, including some ideas from the committee to restructure. There was then a time for attendees to ask questions about the information. The meeting was adjourned at 2:50.
Amy Ackerman, secretary
September 10, 2022
The September 10 D5 meeting was called to order at 1:35 by president Connie White. A few participants participated in a brief read-around to start the meeting. Then a writing prompt was given, participants had a chance to write, and there was another read-around. The meeting was adjourned at 2:50.
Amy Ackerman, secretary
August 13, 2022
The August D5 meeting was called to order at 1:34, and the recording was started. Vice President Gretchen Eick introduced the speaker for the meeting, Tamara Grantham, who is a fantasy writer. Mrs. Grantham told the group about her journey to becoming a writer, including her experiences publishing her work.
Following Mrs. Grantham’s talk and a short break, attendees were given a set of three writing prompts to choose from and some time to write. After a few people shared what they had written, the meeting was adjourned at 3:32.
Amy Ackerman, secretary
July 9, 2022
The July D5 meeting was called to order at 1:30 by president Connie White. Vice president Gretchen Eick introduced the main speaker, Brian Daldorph, a poet who used to run a writing program at the Douglas County Jail. He was joined by Mike Hartnett, who also helped with the program.
Mr. Daldorph started the presentation by sharing some of his published poetry from the books Coneflower Cafe and Kansas Poems. He then gave the mic over to Mr. Hartnett, who shared some striking poems written by participants in the jail writing program. Those poems are published in the book Words Is a Powerful Thing: Twenty Years of Teaching Creative Writing at the Douglas County Jail.
Following the presentation, there was a brief Q & A session. The meeting was adjourned at 3:20.
Amy Ackerman, secretary
June 11, 2022
The June D5 meeting was called to order at 1:30 by President Connie White, and the recording was started. The presentation was done by Reggie Jarrell, author of Thirty-One Days (Nights). Mr. Jarrell shared some of his life experiences and experiences with writing that led him to write his memoir, and why he chose to write it in that particular style.
Following the main presentation, there was a brief break for attendees to stretch and get snacks. After the break, Mr. Jarrell read some excerpts from his book. The meeting was adjourned at 3:15.
Dr. Jerrell’s presentation can be viewed on YouTube.
Amy Ackerman, secretary
May 14, 2022
The May D5 meeting was called to order at 1:31, and the recording was started. Vice President Gretchen Eick introduced the speaker for the meeting, Hazel Hart. Ms. Hart spoke about her experiences publishing her works and gave attendees tips for when they do their own writing. She also shared a little bit about some of the books that she had brought with her.Following the presentation, there was a brief Q&A session and a time for introductions. The meeting was adjourned at 3:00.
Amy Ackerman, secretary
April 9, 2022
The April D5 meeting was called to order at 1:37 and the recording was started. Vice President Gretchen Eick introduced the speaker, Carey Gillam, who is an investigative journalist and the author of Whitewash and The Monsanto Papers. Ms. Gillam spoke to the group about how she got started in the field of investigative journalism, her process for the articles and books she has written, and the backlash she faced for her writing. Following the presentation, attendees briefly introduced themselves and discussed their writing.The meeting was adjourned at 3:27
Amy Ackerman, secretary
March 12, 2022
The March D5 meeting was called to order at 1:30. Vice president Gretchen Eick introduced the speaker for the meeting, Rhonda Miller. She shared samples of her poetry and other poems that inspire her. She also led attendees in four separate writing exercises, each followed by a time for sharing.
The meeting was adjourned at 3:29. A recording will be posted to Youtube.
Amy Ackerman, secretary
February 12, 2022
The February D5 meeting was called to order at 1:45, at which point the recording was started and vice president Gretchen Eick introduced the speaker. The program was presented by Michael Poage, who spoke on the work of writing. He provided attendees with examples of poetry from himself and other poets. Two of the poems attendees listened to were followed by short times for writing and sharing. The meeting was adjourned at 3:35. A recording is posted to the KAC Youtube channel. Amy Ackerman, secretary
January 8, 2022
The January D5 meeting was called to order at 1:36, and vice president Gretchen Eick introduced the speaker. The speaker for the meeting was Aaron Fowler, who talked about the children’s books he’s written starring his two therapy dogs, Bella and Choco. He covered his process of writing the books and gave attendees helpful hints to consider when writing their own books. After a brief presentation, he answered some questions from the attendees.
Following the question session, there was a short business meeting and the guest attendees signed off of Zoom. Treasurer Ray Racobs reported on the current amount in the account. Then the discussion turned to officer elections. Ronn Peters made a motion to keep the current slate of officers for one more year and Roy Stucky seconded the motion. There were no objections, so the 2021 officers will continue in the same positions for 2022. The meeting was adjourned at 2:57
Amy Ackerman, secretary
The December D5 meeting was called to order at 1:30. Attendees from the D5 Board were president Connie White, vice president Gretchen Eick, secretary Amy Ackerman, treasurer Ray Racobs, and webmaster Sandee Taylor. Also in attendance were Chrystal Dahl, Amy Kliewer, Judie Miller, Liz Schmidt, Nicole Snyder, Gloria Zachgo, and Martha Wherry. Wes Brummer, Ron Peters, and Jan Hurst joined the group via Zoom.
The meeting began with a brief business meeting. Treasurer Ray Racobs reported the current balance, $461.65 of which came from 2022 dues. Attendees approved a $290 payment to the Evergreen Branch Library for the meetings in 2023 and a $500 payment to the state to help cover the cost of speakers for 2023.
Following the business meeting and a brief break, attendees were given a series of writing prompts to choose from with some time to write and then share their writing. The main meeting was adjourned at 3:08.
Following the main meeting, there was a board meeting to further discuss next year. The board selected Ann Fell as the Writers in Community Liaison, Amy Kliewer as the New Member Liaison, Nicole Snyder as the Technology Manager, and Gretchen Eick as the KAC Executive Board representative. Attendees further discussed the 2023 meeting schedule, the breakdown of the payment to the state, and publicity for the meetings. The meeting was adjourned at 3:45
Amy Ackerman, secretary
November 12, 2022
The November D5 meeting was called to order at 1:30, with eight attendees at Asbury church and none online. Attendees spent most of the meeting discussing some proposed changes to the D5 bylaws based on changes made at the state level. There was also a brief discussion about the potential of a D5 retreat at a hunting center in Moline in the spring. The meeting was adjourned at 3:30. The next meeting will be on December 10th, and will include officer elections and a read-around.
Amy Ackerman, secretary
October 15, 2022
The October D5 meeting was called to order at 1:35 and the recording was started. Vice president Gretchen Eick introduced the speaker, Tracy Million Simmons. Ms. Simmons is the current KAC manager, and she told attendees about some potential future changes to KAC, including some ideas from the committee to restructure. There was then a time for attendees to ask questions about the information. The meeting was adjourned at 2:50.
Amy Ackerman, secretary
September 10, 2022
The September 10 D5 meeting was called to order at 1:35 by president Connie White. A few participants participated in a brief read-around to start the meeting. Then a writing prompt was given, participants had a chance to write, and there was another read-around. The meeting was adjourned at 2:50.
Amy Ackerman, secretary
August 13, 2022
The August D5 meeting was called to order at 1:34, and the recording was started. Vice President Gretchen Eick introduced the speaker for the meeting, Tamara Grantham, who is a fantasy writer. Mrs. Grantham told the group about her journey to becoming a writer, including her experiences publishing her work.
Following Mrs. Grantham’s talk and a short break, attendees were given a set of three writing prompts to choose from and some time to write. After a few people shared what they had written, the meeting was adjourned at 3:32.
Amy Ackerman, secretary
July 9, 2022
The July D5 meeting was called to order at 1:30 by president Connie White. Vice president Gretchen Eick introduced the main speaker, Brian Daldorph, a poet who used to run a writing program at the Douglas County Jail. He was joined by Mike Hartnett, who also helped with the program.
Mr. Daldorph started the presentation by sharing some of his published poetry from the books Coneflower Cafe and Kansas Poems. He then gave the mic over to Mr. Hartnett, who shared some striking poems written by participants in the jail writing program. Those poems are published in the book Words Is a Powerful Thing: Twenty Years of Teaching Creative Writing at the Douglas County Jail.
Following the presentation, there was a brief Q & A session. The meeting was adjourned at 3:20.
Amy Ackerman, secretary
June 11, 2022
The June D5 meeting was called to order at 1:30 by President Connie White, and the recording was started. The presentation was done by Reggie Jarrell, author of Thirty-One Days (Nights). Mr. Jarrell shared some of his life experiences and experiences with writing that led him to write his memoir, and why he chose to write it in that particular style.
Following the main presentation, there was a brief break for attendees to stretch and get snacks. After the break, Mr. Jarrell read some excerpts from his book. The meeting was adjourned at 3:15.
Dr. Jerrell’s presentation can be viewed on YouTube.
Amy Ackerman, secretary
May 14, 2022
The May D5 meeting was called to order at 1:31, and the recording was started. Vice President Gretchen Eick introduced the speaker for the meeting, Hazel Hart. Ms. Hart spoke about her experiences publishing her works and gave attendees tips for when they do their own writing. She also shared a little bit about some of the books that she had brought with her.Following the presentation, there was a brief Q&A session and a time for introductions. The meeting was adjourned at 3:00.
Amy Ackerman, secretary
April 9, 2022
The April D5 meeting was called to order at 1:37 and the recording was started. Vice President Gretchen Eick introduced the speaker, Carey Gillam, who is an investigative journalist and the author of Whitewash and The Monsanto Papers. Ms. Gillam spoke to the group about how she got started in the field of investigative journalism, her process for the articles and books she has written, and the backlash she faced for her writing. Following the presentation, attendees briefly introduced themselves and discussed their writing.The meeting was adjourned at 3:27
Amy Ackerman, secretary
March 12, 2022
The March D5 meeting was called to order at 1:30. Vice president Gretchen Eick introduced the speaker for the meeting, Rhonda Miller. She shared samples of her poetry and other poems that inspire her. She also led attendees in four separate writing exercises, each followed by a time for sharing.
The meeting was adjourned at 3:29. A recording will be posted to Youtube.
Amy Ackerman, secretary
February 12, 2022
The February D5 meeting was called to order at 1:45, at which point the recording was started and vice president Gretchen Eick introduced the speaker. The program was presented by Michael Poage, who spoke on the work of writing. He provided attendees with examples of poetry from himself and other poets. Two of the poems attendees listened to were followed by short times for writing and sharing. The meeting was adjourned at 3:35. A recording is posted to the KAC Youtube channel. Amy Ackerman, secretary
January 8, 2022
The January D5 meeting was called to order at 1:36, and vice president Gretchen Eick introduced the speaker. The speaker for the meeting was Aaron Fowler, who talked about the children’s books he’s written starring his two therapy dogs, Bella and Choco. He covered his process of writing the books and gave attendees helpful hints to consider when writing their own books. After a brief presentation, he answered some questions from the attendees.
Following the question session, there was a short business meeting and the guest attendees signed off of Zoom. Treasurer Ray Racobs reported on the current amount in the account. Then the discussion turned to officer elections. Ronn Peters made a motion to keep the current slate of officers for one more year and Roy Stucky seconded the motion. There were no objections, so the 2021 officers will continue in the same positions for 2022. The meeting was adjourned at 2:57
Amy Ackerman, secretary